


The Lie, the Fox, and the Mouse

by Manou_Syren



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Episode: s03 Chasseuse de Kwamis | Kwamibuster, Gen, Lila Rossi Lies, Nino is a good bro, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Protective Nino Lahiffe, and for once she's good at it, multifox is seen on camera's
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:08:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23213785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manou_Syren/pseuds/Manou_Syren
Summary: Adrien was planning to compliment Marinette for her performance as Multimouse, but Lila forms the situation in her favor.Can Adrien prove she is a lying bastard, or will the appearance of Multifox ruin everything?Set Post-Kwamibuster
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 74
Kudos: 442





	1. Adrien is Confused

**Author's Note:**

> So it is a little AU because I have written it as if there were news helicopters and Multifox was seen, which isn't true, but it is needed for this fic.
> 
> I just couldn't get this idea out of my head, and I hope you all like it!
> 
> English isn't my first language so there may be mistakes, sorry in advance.

Adrien is Confused

Yesterday, Adrien thought he could be the luckiest black cat in the world. The possibility that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person made his heart do funny things. It would mean that his lady, his love, would also be his very good friend. Maybe he _could_ have a chance.

But then he saw Multimouse detransform into Marinette, handing the miraculous back to Ladybug, so there was no way the two are the same person. You can’t be in two places at once, except with time shenanigans or as smaller versions with the Mouse miraculous.

It felt weird. He didn’t think that would have a big effect on him, but the truth was, as Plagg had said yesterday, mockingly; “Adrien, you’re disappointed, so quit being sad and give me my cheese.”

Still, Adrien was so _very_ proud of Marinette. She had handled the Mouse, Black Cat, _and_ the Ladybug miraculous simultaneously, and he knew from Ladybug that wearing multiple Miraculous was draining, and that was why they didn’t.

So as Adrien walked into class, early this time, he was planning what to say to her. Something like “Good job Marinette!” seemed too plain, somehow. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to mull this over, because _Lila_ was talking.

Ever since Lila got Marinette expelled, and almost half the class akumatized, Adrien tried to avoid the girl as much as he could. He desperately wanted to get rid of her, but he also knew she was cunning and could worm her way out of almost _anything_. It was, as Chloe would say, ‘ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!’.

Lila was talking to Alya, that much was nothing new. When Adrien made an effort (not a lot, though) to overhear (in case it was something bad about Marinette), he heard them talking about the latest akuma.

“Isn’t it crazy that Marinette did all that? She was so cool as the mouse superhero!” Alya gushed about her best friend.

Lila chuckled softly, which was not picked up upon by Alya. “Oh, yeah. Um… That sure was something cool of _Marinette_ …”

Her tone was strange, like she sounded a bit pained. Was it because this showed Ladybug had trusted Marinette?

“Yeah, right?” Alya continued, looking at the footage shot from a news helicopter. There had been a few, because too many news stations were _very_ interested in this particular akuma.

Lila placed a well-timed sob. Alya immediately put her phone down and looked over at Lila in concern. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I- I can’t - I can’t tell you. _You probably won’t even be-believe me_.” She cried, whispering the last part.

Alya looked around the class, only Max, Kim, Juleka, Alix and Adrien were there yet. Adrien tried his best to look like he was very busy with his bag.

“You can always tell me things, Lila. I won’t judge.”

‘Yeah, right. Like how you judged Marinette?’ Adrien thought to himself.

“Al – Alright… It’s just something I’m not supposed to talk about.”

Adrien gripped the handle of his bookbag tighter. ‘Then don’t say it.’ He gritted his teeth.

“Oh?” Alya sounded genuinely concerned.

Lila gestured with her hands. “You know how Ladybug always has these… rather complicated plans?”

Yes, Adrien knew all about that. It was one of the many things he admired about her, her great mind and ingenious plans.

Alya nodded enthusiastically “Yes, she is crazy smart! But, what does that have to do with, well?”

Lila sighed deeply, as if what she was about to say next was a giant weight holding her down, and she was going to release it finally. During the conversation she talked louder and louder, till everyone in the classroom could easily eavesdrop.

Rose and Mylene walked in, talking animatedly.

“It was all an illusion.”

Rose immediately walked over to the chatting girls, interested in the conversation.

“What was an illusion, Lila?” the sweet girl asked.

Kim ran inside, smiling brightly, until he saw Lila’s expression, which was probably a sad one. Adrien couldn’t tell.

Lila looked around, as if trying to guess if she could trust these people. Then she spoke, much clearer than before. “Multimouse, she- it wasn’t Marinette.”

Okay, What?

That was just about the dumbest lie he had ever heard out of Lila’s mouth, and she claimed to be best friends with Ladybug. Luckily everyone else didn’t outright believe her.

“Wah? No, Lila, see, it was filmed on all these camera’s! Why would you possibly think that?” Alya immediately exclaimed, chuckling a bit while waving her phone around. After a moment her expression became much more serious. “Oh, is it because of your friendship with Ladybug and that she chose Marinette over you, even though Mari doesn’t exactly… like you?” Alya put a comforting hand on Lila’s shoulder while saying this, obviously convinced this was just like Mari’s vendetta with Lila.

Adrien wanted to laugh. Marinette was more likely to be best friends with Ladybug. He remembers the day of Evillustrator, when Marinette had helped out Ladybug and him and didn’t even ask for attention, or question why she had to be in the line of fire. According to Ladybug, she even volunteered. And there were other instances, where Marinette disappeared and somewhat later Ladybug would arrive. It could be that Mari was calling Ladybug to go to the place of the akuma. That Mari was secretly helping her.

Yesterday, he even thought they were the same person. Unfortunately that wasn’t true.

Adrien saw Lila taking Alya’s phone and zooming in on the footage at the end of the battle. It was a bit blurry, but not as bad as it would have been had it come from a normal phone camera. There was a small figure in the background.

“Multimouse was real, her appearance however… was not.”

Lila gave the phone back to Alya, who stared intensely at the screen.

“Huh?” was her eloquent response.

Rose was leaning in to get a better look. Ivan and Nino had walked in, and were watching a little further away.

“That what you see is- is a combination of Multimouse and… Volpina.”


	2. A lot of 'Wait, what?'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila tries her best to lie, but some people see through it.  
> Will she succeed in the end, of will Adrien triumpf?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so glad for all your comments and kudos! I was planning to post this tomorrow, but I really wanted to share this.  
> I don't have a beta, so there may be mistakes. I will fix mistakes when I am done with the story, because then I can change anything that eventually won't make sense. 
> 
> Now, enjoy!

Again, What?!

Adrien laughed. He actually, for real, laughed for a moment, not even trying to hide anymore. “Sure, Lie-la. You, who claimed to be Volpina, but who Ladybug HERSELF reprimanded for saying that, were recruited to serve as a superhero? Puh-lease.”

Everyone present just stared at him. Of course, Adrien knew that what he said was really OOC for him (at least from their respective), but he just grinned at Lila. He was _very_ confidant that all she had to say was utter BS.

Alya, however, for _whatever_ reason, shook her head, and held her phone out to him. A bit confused, Adrien took the phone, and took a good look at the footage.

It was zoomed in, as he had predicted, and there was a small figure standing, dressed in grey and orange.

Adrien frowned, zooming out a bit, and replayed the last few seconds. The figure was only a small spot, but still visible, and he could see how it moved out of the shadows. He zoomed out more, and saw how this was shot _after_ Ladybug had taken Marinette home, and he himself had fled the scene.

He gave the phone back to Alya. “Are you sure that’s a person? Not, I don’t know, a small animal?”

Alya zoomed in again, and perused the image. Everyone else was waiting with bated breath for the reporters input.

“I, I think it _is_ a person.”

Adrien felt his stomach drop out. He had to admit, when he looked just then, it sure looked a _lot_ like the other Multimouses, in form and height, the only difference being it’s orange colour.

He didn’t want it to be. Because… well, what would that even mean? Was there a Multimouse left behind? Or was this just a elaborate plot of Lila in which she figured out how to manipulate videos?

Because he _knew_ there was _no way_ his Lady would chose Lie-la, instead of freaking Marinette Dupain-Cheng, to help her with kwamibuster. There was absolutely NO WAY.

“Listen, I-“ Lila began, faking the beginning of tears, making herself smaller. “I do wish I could tell you guys what happened, but…”

Rose put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You know you can tell us anything, alright? We want to help you!”

Lila sobbed. “Just… don’t tell Marinette? Please just… play along? She shouldn’t find out from anyone other then Ladybug.”

Okay, now he was a bit freaked out. What the Camembert was she talking about? He felt a comforting pet from Plagg against his chest. Or maybe it was a warning, that he shouldn’t engage.

“We won’t tell, promise.” Rose said, looking everyone present in the eyes, the silent request to go along visible in her blue orbs.

“Oh, you are all so wonderful, I don’t deserve friends like you!”

Alya was a bit hesitant, but also voiced her support. “Whatever beef you and Mari have, I am sure everything will work out in the end.”

Lila seemed to deem that enough support to start lying – uh… talking.

“I- I guess it began when I told Ladybug about Marinette. It was just after she had gotten back and she just… started being… *sob* pretty mean towards me. Even though _I_ have tried so hard to be nice to her. So, I told LB about this, *sniffle* and she said she- that she would *sob* take care of it.”

He had to hand it to her, sometimes she could be a good actor.

Alya looked very upset. “What do you mean? What did she do?” He wasn’t sure who ‘she’ referred to.

Adrien really wanted to step in and say something in defence of Marinette, but Plagg pushed against his chest again so he just sat down, silently fuming.

Lila put her hands over her eyes. “Anyway, when kwamibuster took her miraculous, Ladybug came straight to me. She needed someone who could handle a lot.”

Straight to her? No, Ladybug had to go to Master Fu… but he couldn’t exactly point that out, now could he?

“But it was Marinette who gave the miraculous back to Ladybug, dudette.” Nino suddenly said, looking around a bit nervously. “How do you explain that?”

Lila looked surprised at Nino, but quickly schooled her expression into a sad one. “Well, that’s the thing, it only _looked_ like Marinette.” She paused, taking in the confused expressions of her classmates.

“What do you mean?” Alya, finally asking questions, asked.

Lila shook her head. “That figure, that was _me_. I was the Mouse _and_ Fox hero at the same time. I made an illusion that showed Marinette underneath the mask.”

Now everyone just stared at her with either pity or even more confusion. The unspoken question of ‘ _Why_ ’ filling the space.

Adrien didn’t know what to do. If he let her have her way, this could be very toxic to Marinette’s reputation. But he didn’t understand what it was Lila had planned. Normally, it was quite easy to guess, but now he was grasping loose cannons, not knowing in which way Lila was firing in to begin with. He felt a big ball of dread creeping down into his stomach, getting quite cosy with his anxiety about this situation.

“She- *sob*she told me that, if Marinette was- was outed, then she could never get her miraculous again.”

Okay, _ouch_. He remembered how Ladybug had told him Marinette couldn’t be called upon anymore, despite all her awesomeness. But he refused to believe it was an elaborate scheme.

“It- It was all a plan, to- to get her out of the w-way, without being publicly mean, because she has a goody-two-shoes reputation to uphold.”

It was like something suddenly clicked inside his brain. He finally got a grip on Lila’s endgame. And it wasn’t pretty.

He knew Lila didn’t like Ladybug, even though she had apologized for ruining her chances with, well, _him_. But Lila just kept going with her lies, going as far as to get Marinette expelled because she could see through them.

Now he wasn’t sure if it was just a grudge, or a immense dislike. Because, alright, he had to admit he was dense sometimes, especially when it came to reading people. But his time as Chat Noir, and with all the crazy plans of his Lady, he could see where this was going.

He looked back at his classmates, all with expressions of shock or even outrage on their faces. They probably weren’t mad at Marinette.

No, they were mad at _Ladybug_.

“Why would she do that!?” Alya exclaimed, gasping.

Lila had the nerve to wiggle in her seat, faking being nervous. “She says her reputation-“

Alya looked about ready to kill a man. “F*ck reputation! She can’t do that to _Marinette_!”

Adrien wanted to die right there. He decided it wouldn’t be beneficial to the situation to drop dead, and instead he stood, getting the attention of the class.

“Alya, are you serious? You dropped all you knew about Marinette, the kindest person I know, out of the window, to believe Lila, and now you are also hating on _Ladybug_? Your _idol_? Why do you, _all_ of you! Believe Lila? What ‘proof’ does she have?” He said, in a low tone. He probably looked ready to murder a guy, too.

Lila gasped dramatically. ”Adrien!? I thought I could trust you! Did you only _act_ like my friend? Were your feeling not real towards me? Did you play me along?” She said, holding her hands over her face again, making sobbing sounds.

Immediately, Rose, Mylène, and Ivan came forward to comfort the crying girl. Alya, however, looked at Adrien with raised eyebrows, a hint of doubt on her face.

Before everyone could begin to say their opinion, Nino stepped forward, cleared his throat, and looked at him with pity in his eyes.

“Uh, dudette? I don’t know, exactly, what you saw, but my man Adrien _definitely_ didn’t ‘lead you on’, bro.” He frowned, then continued. “From what I’ve heard and see, it’s more like _you_ cling to him, if you know what I mean…”

Adrien felt like, in that moment, he could kiss him. Well, maybe not _that_ , but he definitely ran over to give him a bearhug. Feeling his own tearducts at work, he hid his face in his friend’s shoulder.

“ _Thanks, man_ ” he whispered to Nino.

“No problem my dude, I couldn’t just… stand by anymore.” Nino said back, a haunted look in his eyes. They stepped back from each other, to see everyone expectant and waiting, looking at them.

Nino then turned to Alya, who seemed to flinch.

“Alya, honey, dudette, I really admire how you think the best of your friends, but- I’m sorry to say – this is insane. My dude is right, you were ready to believe Marinette was _just_ jealous, and now you think _Ladybug_ is not cool too? That’s not so cool, Alya.”

Alya turned her gaze to the floor, defeated.

Lila saw that moment as an opportunity to speak. “I know you don’t want to think bad of Adrien, but- “

“No, I know my dude, I’m his _best friend_ , and believe me when I say he told me he feels very uncomfortable around you, and avoids you at all costs.” Nino bit back.

“Nino!” Mylène said, shocked that such a gentle soul could say something like that with that glare.

“But, Nino, why else would I make a illusion of Marinette being Multimouse? You agree there is definitely a person there, right? With grey and orange? Well, that’s me! Please believe me?” she sniffled.

Adrien wanted to sit down again. Otherwise, he might punch her lying face.

“Wasn’t Volpina an akuma?” Juleka mumbled.

He looked over at the shy girl, a bit shocked she had said something in the debate. Alya looked up from the floor and nodded.

“Rena Rouge is the foxhero, right?” Kim added, looking a bit unsure, not unlike the rest of the bystanders.

“That’s true.” Alya said quickly, her expression forming a frown.

Lila put her hands down. “Yes, but she couldn’t go to Rena that time. She needed and trusted me.”

Adrien scoffed. Did she really think they would believe that? He knew first-hand how much Ladybug disliked Lila. “Lila, then why would she scold you for lying to me?”

For a moment, Lila seemed unsure of how to proceed. Then she put up a smile, and righted herself. “Well, she didn’t like me talking about it, but we talked later and everything was forgiven!” She made herself smaller by placing her index fingers against each other. “I was just a new kid, and I wanted to impress you! I’m so sorry.”

She was probably expecting comforting pats or voiced exclamations of how she could just be her amazing self, but none came. Everyone was too deep in thought to do so, and Adrien was glad for that.

It meant they were finally thinking, instead of just blindly following whatever Lila would say.

He had to admit he didn’t make it any better, taking the high road and dismissing Marinette’s concern. He wished he had seen earlier just how deceptive Lila was, and how her lies could ruin reputations. His father taught him just how precious a good reputation was, seeing how he refused to except anything less than perfect from him.

But this wasn’t about his issues with his father. This was about outing Lila Rossi.

He desperately hoped, that with the ammunition he now had, and the doubt that was planted in his friends, that it would be soon.

Just when he thought everything would finally fix itself, Marinette stumbled into class.


	3. Mousy fame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has to deal with the consequences of a reveal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for updating this late! I was pretty busy and exhausted from work.   
> Everyone stay healthy and try to follow the health guidelines, like distance between people.
> 
> I thank everyone for leaving kudos and comments! It's super great to hear all your opinions and suggestions.   
> Without further ado, enjoy this small piece!

It was a wonder Marinette had found her bed last night before, falling asleep before her head hit her pillow. Holding so many miraculous and using a total of 4 was _not_ great for her already exhausted mind.

When she woke up the next day to find 14 voice-mails, 11 from Alya, and the rest from her classmates, she knew she would have an thorough interrogation from Alya that day. It was probably too much to hope an akuma would steal the attention away from her and let everyone forget she ever wielded a miraculous.

She had seen the footage, you couldn’t see the kwamiis, and fortunately the camera’s weren’t able to capture the Minimouses that were hiding in the kwamiis. That would have been a strange sight…

They did capture her illusion, the fake Ladybug that cleansed the akuma and restored the roof, the Multimouse who gave her necklace to Ladybug without second thought, revealing herself as Marinette.

When she got back to the bakery later that day, there were quite a few reporters, trying to get an interview with her. Her Papa had been very adamant that they leave his daughter alone, as she was a minor, and couldn’t be legally interviewed without parental permission.

Marinette felt overwhelmed by all the attention on her civilian self, and the exhaustion of fighting Kwamibuster only added to her tired mood. Her mother, ever the observant one (except when it came to Ladybug being her daughter) saw her slumped-over form and sent her up to her room to rest.

Her parents were very proud, and wanted to know as much as she could tell them. At first she felt uncomfortable talking with her parents about Multimouse, but soon she opened up and told them what it felt like, to have your consciousness scattered over 20 different people.

It also meant she could prepare herself for the unavoidable onslaught of Alya’s curiousness. She loved the girl to pieces but, sometimes she was outright scary when she wanted to pursue a story.

Because she went to sleep early last night, she woke up on time for once. She was so surprised it took her half an hour to get out of bed, and the fact that Tikki was still asleep didn’t help her to get up and get ready. After Tikki woke up at the sound of her first of 8 alarms, Marinette deemed it late enough to get out.

She located her phone and listened to the voicemails with a smile. Her friends were obviously excited that she had been chosen as a part-time hero. She knew a lot of them had been heroes as well, but they didn’t know she knew. It made her smile, to think about their enthusiasm.

Getting ready, Marinette reviewed the news for the second time. It didn’t hurt to know everything the media was saying. Some people were angry that she was so young. Some people commented on knowing her via her parents, or just knowing the Tom & Sabine Bakery. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

There was some discussion on Ms Mendeleiev, though. People seemed to think she was a nutcase to think interdimensional creatures were a thing. Others deemed the akumatization and name ‘Kwamibuster’ proof that she was right. No one, however, had guessed that the kwamiis were connected to the miraculous. Marinette let out a relieved sigh.

Unfortunately, checking the news made her running a bit late again. She packed her lunch and went out of the door, to be immediately swamped with reporters.

Ugh, again?

Before she could blink, the reporters pushed their microphones up her nose and began asking questions like wild banshees.

Some were about her experiences; “Miss Dupain-Cheng, what were your experiences as a helping hero?”

Some were about her age; “Miss Dupain-Cheng, why do you think Ladybug chose you, a minor?”

Some questioned about the kwami ordeal; “Miss Dupain-Cheng, what do you think a ‘kwami’ is?”

A lot asked about Ladybug; “Miss Dupain-Cheng, do you know Ladybug personally?”

And some about her identity reveal and Ladybug’s decision; “Miss Dupain-Cheng, what are your feelings about being refused to act again as Multimouse?”

Meanwhile Marinette stood in the doorway, frozen, a croissant in her mouth. She didn’t answer them, and wasn’t planning to. The only one she would give a interview to would be Alya.

She didn’t have to wait long before her Papa helped her out, appearing in the doorway and asking the reporters (who were still yelling questions) and the photographers (who were sneakily taking pictures) to leave his daughter alone.

“Papa, it’s okay.” Marinette said softly. She was glad her father had scared them away, though.

Her father put a hand on her shoulder and gave her an assuring smile. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I prefer that you don’t have to deal with the media like that. I will escort you to school today, to keep them away.”

Marinette expressed her gratitude by grinning at him. “Thanks, Papa! Is Mamam working the counter right now?”

Her father gave her a grim smile. “Eh, we decided to close the bakery for a few hours, the media would probably like to ask us questions, too, and that isn’t helping us tend to our customers.”

Marinette had not even thought about that.

The two of them walked together to school, her father shooing away any reporter that came to close. At the school gates, her father gave her a bearhug and wished her well. She hugged him back and thanked him for his support. Marinette really appreciated the love her parents gave her, especially as she thought about the parents of some other kids, who weren’t as fortunate.

People like Adrien.

She wondered what he would think of her. Marinette knew Adrien had been Aspik, and that he had used the Second Change more than 5 thousand times. She wasn’t sure of the actual number, but that was crazy. It had depleted his excitement of getting to use a miraculous. She didn’t know what to think about all that, honestly.

There was also the problem that Adrien didn’t know _she_ knew who he was, or had been. So they couldn’t bond over being so-called ‘one-time heroes’ unless he opened up about it to her. Marinette wasn’t delusional to think they had come so far in friendship that he would trust her with that, yet.

While she thought about all that, she didn’t realise she was already at the stairs and fell over on them. She was lucky she only hurt her ankle.

She ascended the stairs and heard commotion in the class, which wasn’t unusual, so she didn’t really pay attention to it. She should have, especially because there was a big chance the conversation was about, well, her.

When she opened the door, she expected a few glances, Alya attacking her in a bearhug asking for an exclusive interview, and hopefully a smile from Adrien. She didn’t count for the whole class to go deadly silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't cover as much as I would've liked, it flowed like this and I wanted to include more of Marinette's morning, because it just... came to me? idk.   
> Maybe I was just sick of writing lila :o  
> Maybe the story will become 5 chapters, I'm not sure yet.


	4. A Foxy Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila, of all beings, demands answers.
> 
> Isn't that Ironic?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for updating this late. Last week I was moving, and now I'm finally settled down. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Surprisingly, Kim was the first to exclaim “Marinette! You’re here!” to her. Nino, Adrien, and Alix quickly followed by saying a timid “Hi”, and the rest were too deep in thought to say anything at the moment.

Alya stood up, determination in her eyes. She was going to get the truth. Right here, right now. She didn’t want any uncertainties, or lies, or…

Whatever was going on, one of her friends had been lying to her.

“Marinette, how are you, from yesterday?” she asked, trying to make her voice stable and begin with a simple, inconspicuous question.

Somehow the question caught Marinette off guard. She was expecting very different questions, not just one for small talk. Alya had seen Marinette as a _miraculous holder_ of all things, why did she look so downtrodden?

Marinette eyed the class, and saw how Lila looked at Marinette expectantly. Rose stood close by, but there was a space between them she hadn’t seen before when the two of them were talking. Juleka was standing behind Rose, a hand on the blonde her shoulder.

Next to Rose but also keeping their distances were Ivan and Mylène. Kim and Alix were standing on the stairs, a contemplating look on Alix’ face. Kim was smiling at her. Max was sitting at his desk, but was listening in on the conversation, it seemed.

Adrien was standing in front of Alya, a pleading look on his face, directed to Marinette. Nino looked a bit angry, which was such a surprise for her she forgot the question for a moment, wondering what was going on.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to wonder too long, because her classmates faces told her everything she needed to know, and she was quick-witted enough to push the puzzle-pieces together.

She looked back at Adrien, who put his hand together in a begging position, what reminded her of the time she had helped him hide from his fans. His eyes switched between her and Lila, and she nodded, getting the message.

It was weird how she could read that much into his body-language, but ever since she became part of an iconic super-duo she had made it a point to study body languages, not just from her partner, but also in general. It helped out a lot to understand some of the shit Lila would pull sometimes.

Marinette sighed deeply, and let her shoulders hang. “Urgh, I’m exhausted! I guess I was a bit ambitious yesterday.”

She didn’t explain any further, and walked up to Lila, who was sitting in her seat.

“Lila, hi, could you please let me sit in my seat? I’m still a bit dead on my feet, and I don’t want to be clumsy and fall and accidentally ruin anything, if you don’t mind?” Yeah, maybe she was laying it on thick, but at least it was based on truths, she really _was_ still exhausted.

Lila looked angry for a second, but quickly schooled it into a apologetic expression. “Oh, I’m so sorry! But I am just so tired I can’t move my legs! I guess I will have to sit here the rest of the day…”

She almost missed it, but Alya seemed to roll her eyes? Nino, too, looked done with Lila’s bullshit.

“Don’t worry Marinette, you can sit with me, and Nino will sit with Nathaniel, if that’s alright with you, Nino?” Adrien said, smiling at her, which made her heart flop in her chest.

Before Nino could answer, Lila asked why Marinette couldn’t sit with Nathaniel. Adrien quickly pointed out how exhausted Marinette looked, and that walking up the stairs would not be preferable then.

Nino, for his part, was only looking curiously at his friend – who was weirdly assertive today – but nodded in the end.

Marinette collapsed at Nino’s seat, stretching her arms. “Thanks, Nino!”

“Ah, it is a small thing, dudette. Especially since you saved the day yesterday! You were pretty cool, dude!”

Marinette smiled, _that_ had been what she was expecting! “Yeah, it turns out, using multiple miraculous at the same time tires a person out!”

“So you _did_ use more then one miraculous?” Alya inquired.

Marinette nodded. “Yes, Chat trusted me with his ring, and I let myself get captured by Kwamibuster, so that I could use his miraculous, and destroy her weapon.”

“Chat noir trusted you enough to give you his _miraculous_?” Alya gaped at her.

“Well, yeah, how else was I supposed to defeat Kwamibuster?”

Her classmates looked at her in awe.

“That’s really cool Marinette!” Adrien smiled proudly.

“But, if you took his miraculous, do you know his _identity_?” Alya asked, her interest piqued even more.

“No, no, I do _not_ know that! Or Ladybug’s identity. They wore costumes to disguise themselves with.”

“I can’t believe you got to use Chat Noir’s miraculous!” Nino said excited.

Rose and Mylène nodded. “Yeah, he must really trust you!” Rose said.

Marinette laughed awkwardly. Chat _had_ to trust her, and probably thought she was Ladybug anyway, who he trusts with his life. It was not as if Chat Noir trusted _Marinette_ that much, at least, not before he ‘found out’ she was Multimouse.

“What about the small figure, Marinette? You know, the one seen _after_ you ‘revealed’ yourself to the world as Marinette?” Lila sneered from behind her.

Marinette looked at Lila, a bit confused, apprehension building in her stomach. “What do you mean?”

She caught Alya not so subtly elbowing Lila. Lila then held out her own phone, which was playing the video from the helicopters yesterday.

“What’s this?” the liar asked with fake sweetness.

She took the phone, trying to have the least amount of contact with it’s surface, and played the video. It had been paused almost at the end, after the mirage of Ladybug and her leaving.

“I don’t…? What do I need to see?” She asked, the apprehension a bit heavier. What if they saw the mirage ending? But she had reviewed the footage, and that wasn’t the case, so what could it have been? She hoped no one caught the slight tremor in her voice.

“Here.” Alya said, handing her her phone. “It has to be zoomed in.”

Marinette took Alya’s phone, setting Lila’s aside. She looked at the screen and felt the blood leave her face.

_HOW?_

She thought she had been in the shadow! Had she been that out of it she had just walked into the open? This was a _DISASTER!_

“Marinette? You don’t look that good.” Lila said, a small smile on her stupid face.

She didn’t hear the commotion in the classroom. She didn’t see Adrien and Nino stepping closer to her, Adrien seating himself next to her and placing his hand on her shoulder, Alya getting out of her seat to stand beside her, Nino standing before her, taking a hand and squeezing it.

Normally whenever she panicked it would show outwards, she would exclaim her worries to Alya or Tikki and dissolve in her own extreme dystopian scenarios, but she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t scream in frustration, cry in fear. Her reaction _had_ to be normal, she _had_ to put up a calm front so no-one would second-guess her later. She could _not_ afford to tell the truth, she had to think of something, anything!

Normally she would freeze. She would give a watery laugh and think for a second and she would think of a solution. Normally she would brush any negativity off.

But normally her classmates weren’t _all_ staring at her, expecting an answer. When they did, _normally_ , it wouldn’t be this high-stakes, like Heroes Day when all she had was macarons for her class.

Tikki must have given her _some_ luck, because in that moment Mme Bustier walked in, and asked gently if everyone could go to their seats so class could begin.

Marinette was gasping for air. How much she hated her body for getting in this much panic. She didn’t have an attack like this often, probably because she was in a constant active mode of apprehension, always ready to fight an akuma.

It was exhausting, and she felt panicky, yes, but heavy hyperventilating like this happened only in really stressful situations. She didn’t control it, honestly, she wished her body wasn’t going into a fritz over almost nothing. (Who are you _kidding_! Her secret identity was on the line!!!) She _would_ find a way out of this. She could make something up. Everything was going to be OKAY!

But her body didn’t listen, because that just wasn’t how it goes.

Mme Bustier saw her gasping and immediately asked for Alya to accompany her to the nurse. Lila asked if she could sit beside Adrien, then. Adrien glared at her, saying she was the last person he wanted to sit next to, (cue gasps from everyone, and “Sunshine! Do you have an eclipse or something?” from Alya) and that he would like to accompany Marinette.

Tears were streaming down her face with frustration. She was trying to take deeper breaths.

“Mme Bustier, can Adrien and I both accompany her? Nino could help Lila with her delay.” Alya asked, a glint in her eyes that told Marinette she was in matchmaking mode.

“Alright then.” Mme Bustier sighed with defeat. Marinette stood following her best friend and crush to the courtyard.

This was going to get messy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Sometimes I try to follow a simple storyline and my brain will think; "But, they would react! They will talk! Things happen! And then Mari get's an anxiety attack because that is, in my opinion, valid for her. 
> 
> I now think it will be 6 chapters, but maybe I want to add more in Alya's and Nino's perspective, or I will make that into a seperate story and make this a series. 
> 
> I'm always delighted by all of your kudos and comments! Thank you for your support!
> 
> I will try to update soon!


	5. Cheers for our Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets Ladybugs Luck on her side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY for updating this late. It's been months. Anyway, here is a longer chapter than normal, hope you like it!

Marinette sat down on a bench, Alya seating herself beside her and Adrien hovering awkwardly above them, unsure of what to do.

Alya began talking to her, guiding her through deep breaths, until she finally felt normal again, still feeling a pit in her stomach, and a little faint.

Meanwhile Adrien had sat himself down besides Marinette, a frown on his face. He was trying to make sense of the entire ordeal; Marinette being Multimouse, there being a tiny person _after_ Marinette detransformed, the lie Lila was trying to sell, which would ruin both Mari’s and his Lady’s reputation. Why Marinette got an anxiety attack because of the clip at the end.

He just didn’t have the answers and didn’t know how to ask for them. The only person who would know the truth would be Ladybug, but he couldn’t just ask her, or he would have to explain about Lila, and how he heard about it.

“I think I’m good now.” Marinette says softly, sniffing and rubbing her tear tracks away with her sleeves

Alya rubs her back. Adrien just stands there, feeling more and more awkward as time goes by. Should he say something? Put a hand on her shoulder? Yes, this wasn’t the first time he saw someone having a panic attack, the fashion industry wasn’t without stress, but those people weren’t his friends. They weren’t like Marinette. Marinette always seemed so strong, always giving her support to others. Moving constantly, organizing events and making sure everyone was happy. The only times she was anxious was when he was nearby, so he didn’t understand how his presence could possibly help her, only that he would do anything for her to feel better.

It seemed Alya had picked up on his anxious energy, because she was motioning for him to come sit.

Marinette didn’t shriek or didn’t jump in the air when he sat down on her other side, so he took that as a good sign. She was inhaling and exhaling deeply, gathering strength to face the day again.

He hesitated, but gently laid his hand on her shoulder. He thought of it as an invite, would she accept his help, or shrug it off?

She answered by putting her own hand on top of his free hand. Alya held the other. Their breaths the same tempo, heartbeats probably too. It was of a level of intimacy he only hoped to ever experience, and here they were, on a bench in the empty courtyard, holding hands and calming down. The silence was comfortable, for once in his life.

He didn’t know how long they sat there, but after some time had passed Marinette let go of their hands, and Alya and Adrien both let go of her shoulders. Marinette sat up, holding her hands out to them, with a determined expression on her face that could put Ladybug’s strategizing gaze to shame.

“Alright, let’s get to class people! We can’t skip out of our education!” She said, the fire back in her voice.

Alya let out an excited ‘Whoop!’ and Adrien smiled and admired his friend in silence. They made their way back to the classroom, and Marinette knocked before entering. Mme Bustier fell silent in her explanation and welcomed them in.

Nino was sitting next to Lila in the second row. Alya winked at Marinette and made her way up to sit next to Nathaniel, which would mean…

That he got to be seat buddies with Mari!

Honestly, he was a bit intimidated by the idea. Alya and Marinette were almost always whispering about one thing or another. Would she expect conversations? Or were they not good enough friends for that? How would he divide his attention to Mari and to what the lessons were about?

Marinette sat down at Nino’s seat, and pulling her stuff out of her bag. Okay. So far so good, he should do that too.

Adrien found he needed to pay extra good attention since he missed the beginning. Marinette was equally paying attention, so he was probably doing a good job by not making conversation.

Marinette was getting more and more anxious by the minute. For now, the issues _seemed_ cleared, but she knew Lila wouldn’t back down. The seconds were ticking away, getting closer and closer till lunch, when the drama would resume. She was so absorbed in thought she didn’t notice Adrien’s own anxious tapping of his foot or the quick glances he sent her.

She was still a bit shaky from before, and wished she could just vanish in thin air. Before she had been a bit uncomfortable with the press shoving camera’s and questions in her face, but she could deal with that. Now Lila’s lies could end up on the Ladyblog if Alya or anyone in their class made a post about it, (she had faith in Alya but she had had faith that first day and when she had been expelled but then she had also shoved her reservations about Liela aside so… she didn’t know what to expect) and if someone made a post it would gain attention…

and with attention more attention and somehow everyone would think she was a jealous bitch and Lila the sweetest thing and she would be recognized everywhere as a fake and she would never get in any university and her dreams of being a fashion designer were ruined!! None of her friends would want to associate with her because everyone hates her and she will die alone in the worst clothing ever never moving out of her parents bakery, forced to live her life in secrecy to avoid death by glaring strangers!!!

Marinette felt a comforting pat on her hip, and looked down to see Tikki discreetly hiding between her leg and her purse. It stopped her from going in another anxiety spiral, and she was grateful the kwami had sensed her mood. She turned her head to pay attention to the lesson again and found they were talking about propaganda, and how perspectives could easily be skeeved by people in power. It was actually really interesting, and Marinette couldn’t help but recognize how Lila was sort of doing vocal propaganda, making herself look better and simultaneously making Marinette look bad.

After showing some examples, Mme Bustier began talking about censure, and one funny example being the Monthy Python movie ‘The Life of Brian’, because people thought it was a satire of Christianity and they were depicting someone in a way that wasn’t allowed… anyway.

It got her thinking of a plan, how to finally prove Lila was lying. It got even better when Mme Bustier addressed the class and told them about a new project.

“Everyone is going to research an example of propaganda or censure. You will do this project with your current desk mates. The requirements are written on these papers, Alix, can you please help me hand them out?”

Marinette was _really_ happy that she was currently seated next to Adrien. Alya would have been alright, but now she could pitch Lila as an example, because the blond _knew_. She was trying her best to contain her excitement for the project, but when Adrien turned to her and showed a happy grin, she couldn’t help but brightly smile back.

It was finally lunch, and everyone quickly exited the classroom. Adrien turned to Marinette and offered her his arm, and she gladly took it, although she didn’t quite get what he meant with that gesture.

Alya went to cling to her other side, claiming her other arm. Nino walked after them, chuckling at his friends shenanigans. He could swear he saw Adrien giving Alya a glare, but he saw the corner of his lip turning upwards so it was in a joking matter. Otherwise, Nino mused, he would have to have a talk with his bro.

“So… Marinette, my best friend, can you tell us _your_ tale about your adventures as Multimouse?” Alya asked with a grin. The four friends were now seated in the cafeteria, Adrien, Marinette and Alya taking their lunches out of their bags, and Nino having joined them after collecting some food. The rest of their class was either at home or listening in. Lila was sitting at a round table, giving sad looks at anyone who looked her direction, interrupted by glares in Marinette’s direction.

Marinette fidgeted a bit in her seat. She _had_ thought about what to say, but it was becoming a complicated mess in her mind to separate reality from what was seen and what she would tell and what Lila could know. 

Adrien was seated beside her and hesitantly took her hand and gave it a squeeze. He was probably trying to give comfort, and it did, but is also made her squeak. Like a mouse… so maybe not an unfortunate reaction?

“Well, you guys remember Evillustrator?” She began, and Alya and Adrien nodded. Nino turned his head a bit. “Back then I helped Chat Noir and Ladybug in fighting him by not fighting him, but giving him something he wanted. And, well, that something was… a date with me. Sooooo… Evillustrator was actually pretty nice, until he figured out it was a trap… Anyway, that was how we met.”

Alya just stared at her. “For real girl? I didn’t know that! How didn’t I know that?”

Marinette looked away, feeling a bit guilty. She didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but _of course_ for the author of the Ladyblog it _was_. “I’m sorry Alya, I guess it just never came up.”

Alya sighed. “I forgive you girl, but only if you tell me your story right now! Is it okay if I record this, by the way?”

Marinette nodded, and went on with her story. “So, yesterday Mme Mendeleiev was akumatized into kwamibuster, because the judges didn’t believe her. But I guess, since everyone saw the footage of the fight, that I can say that they _are_ real. I won’t say how they look or anything.” Marinette put her hand in the air, trying to convey she wasn’t going to tell anything else about kwamiis.

Alya nodded, a concentrated but excited look on her face.

Marinette noticed some classmates lingering close to their table, trying to listen in on the conversation. She didn’t mind, the improvised interview was going to be published on the Ladyblog anyway.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir both lost their kwamiis. They had to retreat. As you all know, there are other miraculouses, like the fox, bee, and turtle, and then yesterday the mouse. The thing is, there are more.”

A few gasps were heard. Marinette took a deep breath, already having talked to Tikki about this, so she knew it was the right thing to do.

“Ladybug needed a sort of similar help like with Evillustrator. Giving her what she wanted, and what she wanted was to capture kwamiis. The thing is, they are all bonded with a miraculous. So for the kwamiis to be ‘activated’, as you will, the miraculous has to be worn.”

She paused, saw how everyone was captivated by her every word. It felt weird, having this much attention to her, especially with Lila’s presence in class. She didn’t quite miss it, but it wasn’t unpleasant either.

“She told me what to do, while wearing a disguise. I didn’t know if I should do it at first. But she encouraged me. I wanted to help, so I agreed.

“I wasn’t just wearing the mouse miraculous, but all the others too. They weren’t activated in the sense that I was only transformed with the mouse, for multiplication. I shrank down into different versions of myself, which were carried to the scene by the kwamiis themselves. Chat Noir gave his ring to one of the Multimice. I let that one be captured by Kwamibuster, because Chat’s kwami was inside that, and there I could transform, and use Cataclysm on the inside so the weapon broke and the captured kwamiis and me could escape.

“The Ladybug kwami reunited with Ladybug, who called for her Lucky Charm to contain the akuma. I myself became one again. And there, I had to do something. You have all seen that, after I was carried away by Ladybug, there was a tiny person still on that roof. And you were right. I didn’t reform myself until later. I had one Multimouse who was also transformed as the fox hero.”

Alya gave a spasm at that. Everyone was looking at her with wide eyes and excitement oozing out of their expressions, Adrien was staring at her. Oh no, he was _staring at her_! Now was not the time to think about that!

“Uh… So, Multifox, or that’s how I called her, needed to make that illusion. Why? You ask. Probably. I mean, it’s weird, right?”

A few nods were her answer.

“It’s because then Hawkmoth couldn’t see the Miraculouses. Ladybug made it very clear it was of utmost importance he _didn’t_ know what the different Miraculous look like. I _did_ make a mistake in revealing my identity, it was probably because that was what I would have done, giving my miraculous back as soon as possible. I didn’t want everyone to know.

“You may also ask why Ladybug couldn’t do it herself.”

Enthusiastic nodded from everyone told her what she already suspected. The question; “Why her?”

“It was because I had to unify with Chat Noir’s miraculous. If I held, or, she held, or… uh,… _anyone_ held the two Miraculous at the same time, that could wear the person out, but, well, let just say it is dangerous. Why didn’t she choose Lila? I am not her, and she didn’t tell me why, so I don’t know. Maybe someone could ask her while she is on patrol? I hope I have answered your questions…”

The people listening stayed silent for a while, letting everything sink in. Marinette herself had been so deep in thought she hadn’t felt how Adrien was holding her hand still, even entwining his fingers with hers.

“That is crazy cool Mari!” Alix shouted. Adrien chuckled, Mylène and Rose cheered, Alya gaped at her, her hands gripping her phone like a lifeline, Juleka was mumbling something, Kim clapped his hands in excitement, Nino was adjusting his hat and stared at her saying “Dudette what?” on repeat, the works. There were a few similar exclamations like Alix’. 

Marinette felt relieved, like she had been held back and like a spring she was suddenly released, feeling light as a feather. Adrien was holding her hand, her friends were cheering for her, she just told them something that negated whatever Lie Lila would spin, Adrien was holding her…

When she had woken up that day, she felt tired but accomplished. Now, she could say the same. She may have been Ladybug for a long time now, but for the first time, her friends knew about any part of it. Marinette’s eyes sought Lila, and witnessed her glaring at her. Marinette smiled in return, probably pissing the liar off, but she didn’t care. Lila could think whatever she wanted, but Marinette would have the high ground, with Adrien by her side and Alya and Nino cheering her on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is kinda the end, (although I am not really satisfied with it) I think I will write another chapter to end it better.
> 
> After this I will write perspectives of the other characters.


End file.
